Ohio State redshirt sophomore 197-pounder Nicholas Boykin stands aside and watches practice while taking a break. Credit: Courtesy of Nicholas Boykin
Every season, the Ohio State wrestling team and its wrestlers set out with the goal of winning a national title. However, from a team of over 30 members, only 10 can represent the scarlet and gray at the NCAA Tournament.
Redshirt sophomore 197-pounder Nicholas Boykin is one of those 30 wrestlers on the roster, but he came to Columbus with a different goal than being one of those 10 at the NCAA Tournament. Boykin’s goal is still to win a title, not at the NCAA Tournament, but rather in Greco-Roman style at the Olympics.
The only problem is that the Ohio State wrestling program and NCAA only wrestle folkstyle.
In folkstyle wrestling, one can use their legs to attack and defend with an emphasis on controlling your opponent. Greco-Roman style, on the other hand, does not allow any holds below the waist and the emphasis is placed on the upper body.
As a result, Boykin only gets to wrestle Greco-Roman in the offseason, which makes it hard to train for during the season. That’s the first challenge in Boykin’s pursuit of Olympic gold.
The other challenge for Boykin is his size. NCAA weight classes jump from 197 pounds to 285. However, Boykin’s Greco-Roman weight class is 213 pounds, placing him between college weights.
It creates a unique challenge for Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan, but it’s one both parties embrace in order to get Boykin where he wants to go.
“He’s in a unique spot. Not only is he a Greco expert and a realistic Olympian, the weight that he’s at is challenging from a college standpoint,” Ryan said. “Ideally, we would get him up to 230, but if you get him up to 230, your Olympic dream of 213 becomes a challenge, so he’s in kind of a unique spot.”
Despite the difference in style and size issues, Boykin believes he’s already taken steps toward achieving his ultimate goal in Columbus.
“It’s kind of weird to think about it last year because I’ve done Greco for 2 1/2years, I just felt like I wasn’t improving. Then I came here and I started wrestling with Fritz (Schierl) and we just have fun learning and rolling around,” Boykin said. “My first time I felt like I improved was the first U.S. Open I won, and that next year I won it again. Each year I keep knocking people off, and I think that’s one of the things that’s helped me get better and improve to hopefully become the next Olympian.”
Boykin said he believes a lot of his progress stems from being at Ohio State, not just from a technical or physical standpoint.
“I like to wrestle; I like to just learn,” Boykin said. “When I was out in Colorado, it was mostly just the technical part, but I didn’t have the grit for what it takes to be successful.”
Ryan said he believes being in a Big Ten wrestling room has contributed to Boykin’s success.
“I think one of the things Greco guys benefit tremendously from is just the intense training of a Big Ten program,” Ryan said. “If you get stronger and more fit and you have good skills, which Nick does, your wrestling will jump levels.”
Boykin said he also has the right partners in the room to help get him where he wants to go.
Redshirt senior 174-pounder Fritz Schierl is also a Greco-Roman wrestler while redshirt senior heavyweight Tate Orndorff was a U23 World Greco-Roman Team member in 2019.
Getting to wrestle with those two is a big benefit for Boykin, according to Ohio Regional Training Center head coach and Ohio State assistant Logan Stieber.
“It’s really beneficial; Fritz is really explosive,” Stieber said. “Tate’s obviously a bigger guy for him, so it’s a way he can continue to hone his Greco skills while being a part of the Buckeye wrestling team.”
Boykin acknowledged that Schierl and Orndorff are a big help to him.
“I mean Fritz beats me up. Fritz is a good wrestling partner,” Boykin said. “Tate is a bigger guy and he was actually on the national team, too, so I have good partners. Fritz and Tate do a great job working with me.”
The Ohio State coaching staff also brought in outside help in order to get Boykin to his ultimate goal. Ryan said Ohio Regional Training Center assistant coach Dennis Hall, who’s a three-time Olympian and earned a silver medal in 1996, helps periodically with Boykin.
Boykin’s next chance to chase Olympic gold will be at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. In the meantime, he said he hopes to win another U.S. Open title this spring and a national team spot.
Regardless of what happens next for Boykin, the Ohio State coaching staff is happy he chose their room to chase his Olympic dreams.
“Nick’s just the ultimate teammate, so if we need him to wrestle freestyle, he wrestles freestyle, and if we need him to wrestle folkstyle, right now he wrestles folkstyle,” Stieber said.
